CODEWITHSUNDEEP
phpjsonapi
MrTechie
MrTechie

Reputation: 1847

How to set the request body in a json format

I'm trying to send a request body in a json format to an API. The docs state the body needs to be formatted like so:

//Request body needs to the contain a JSON object in the following format:

{  
  "delete_list":[  
    "8fcd1d68c82dd39d65ef8ea9a7948bbe",
    "8bca1d68c92dd39d65ef8ea9a7948bbe",
    "8bca1d69c82d939d65ef8ea9a7948bbe",
    "8bca1d69c82d939d65ef8ea9a7947bbe"
   ]
}

My attempted code seems to fail and I am not sure why. I've tried quite a few adjustments and nothing seems to work:

    $del = array("delete_list" => "[8bca1d69c82d939d65ef8ea9a7947bbe]");
    $j = json_encode($del);


    $apiToken = 'xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx';

    $httpHeadersArray = Array();
    $httpHeadersArray[] = 'Authorization: key='.$apiToken;
    $httpHeadersArray[] = 'Content-Type: application/json';


    //open connection
    $ch = curl_init();

    //set the url, number of POST vars, POST data
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $curlUrl);
    #curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, "PUT");
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query($j));
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, $httpHeadersArray);


    $res = curl_exec($ch);


    echo "<pre>";
    print_r($res);
    echo "</pre>";

My end result that I get back from the API is as follows: 

{"status":"failure","message":"JSON malformed"}

Any suggestions as to what I am doing wrong with the code? It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Upvotes: 2

Views: 5752

Answers (4)

Gerard Roche
Gerard Roche

Reputation: 6391

json_encode() returns a string containing the JSON representation of value.

— PHP Manual

It returns a representation of a value.

print_r(array(
    "delete_list" => "[8bca1d69c82d939d65ef8ea9a7947bbe]"
));

Prints:

{
    "delete_list": "[8bca1d69c82d939d65ef8ea9a7947bbe]"
}

Whereas:

print_r(array(
    "delete_list" => array(
        "8bca1d69c82d939d65ef8ea9a7947bbe"
    )
));

Prints:

{
    "delete_list": [
        "8bca1d69c82d939d65ef8ea9a7947bbe"
    ]
}

Upvotes: 0

apokryfos
apokryfos

Reputation: 40683

Two things:

1) You're json encoding an object with a single string but you need to encode an object with an array.

2) You're using http_build_query which will urlencode the array arguments and break the JSON structure.

Do this:

    $del = array("delete_list" => [ "8bca1d69c82d939d65ef8ea9a7947bbe" ]);
    $j = json_encode($del);


    $apiToken = 'xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx';

    $httpHeadersArray = Array();
    $httpHeadersArray[] = 'Authorization: key='.$apiToken;
    $httpHeadersArray[] = 'Content-Type: application/json';


    //open connection
    $ch = curl_init();

    //set the url, number of POST vars, POST data
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $curlUrl);
    #curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, "PUT");
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $j);
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, $httpHeadersArray);


    $res = curl_exec($ch);


    echo "<pre>";
    print_r($res);
    echo "</pre>";

Upvotes: 2

Rohit Ailani
Rohit Ailani

Reputation: 910

Yes you are malforming the json or indeed the array

$del = array("delete_list" => array("8bca1d69c82d939d65ef8ea9a7947bbe")); $j = json_encode($del);

This is the correct way, you are passing the array as a string, which won't work.

Upvotes: 1

AbuHuraira Lakdawala
AbuHuraira Lakdawala

Reputation: 786

Throw the header at the top

header('Content-Type: application/json');

Upvotes: 1

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